N.L. singer looking for a new Adventure

Alan Doyle is home on a decently long break from his “Come Out With Me” tour and looking forward to playing in his home province. - File photo

Alan Doyle is especially excited for you to come to his upcoming St. John’s gig

Describing what Alan Doyle does for a living is getting harder and harder.

At one time, he was a musician and the frontman for Great Big Sea. Then he became a musician/producer/actor, starring in films alongside Russell Crowe.

Nowadays it seems like he adds a new project every few months, to the point where he’s currently describable as musician/producer actor/writer/adventurer/whatever other interesting opportunity presents itself that he grabs by the horns.

It’s fitting for the guy who doesn’t have a bucket list because he finds them too limiting.

“I just came up from the studio, I’m producing a kids’ record,” Doyle explains at the start of his interview with The Telegram. “The only reason I wanted to do it is I don’t know how to do it. It’s pretty fun, I’ve got to say.”

Doyle is home on a decently long break from his
Come Out With Me” tour, which has taken him and his band across the continent during the past year, promoting his latest album: last October’s “A Week at the Warehouse.”

With two best-selling memoirs under his belt along with multiple Juno nominations, three solo albums, the Order of Canada and so much more Doyle isn’t about to call it a day. He’s got another book in the works, he’ll soon be starting another album, and he has recently joined Adventure Canada cruises as a team member.

Adventure Canada, which specializes in expedition cruises around Newfoundland and Labrador and abroad, employs musicians, artists and culturalists on many of its tours, offering travelers a local perspective. Doyle will be on board a circumnavigation of the island over 10 days in October, beginning and ending in St. John’s with stops in Gros Morne, L’Anse aux Meadows, Conne River and St-Pierre in between.

He’s hoping to draw from the experience for a new book.

“I told them I’ll do whatever. I’ll work in the kitchen if they want. Sing a few songs,” Doyle says. “I just want to have the experience.”

He’s got a lot to look forward to for sure, but Doyle says he’s especially excited for next weekend’s show in the Iceberg Alley Performance Tent. He’ll perform with his band on Sept. 15, with Shanneyganock and Celtic Connection also on the bill.

Iceberg Alley, which gets underway Sept. 12, is an 11-day music festival held under a 25,000 square foot big-top-style tent in Pleasantville. The event was designed, say its founders, to “showcase the unique culture, traditions and heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador alongside nationally and internationally acclaimed entertainment.”

This year’s festival will feature local acts like Janet Cull, Mick Davis and Thin Love, Waterfront Fire, Carolina East, Billy and the Bruisers and more as well as notable come-from-aways like Ria Mae, Serena Ryder, Steve Earle and the Dukes, Dallas Smith, The Trews, Matt Mays and Billy Talent.

“I went to see a couple shows (at the festival) last year and I couldn’t believe how amazing the venue was,” Doyle says. “It was this amazing concert venue with all the vibe of a circus tent, so really people can have whatever kind of concert experience they want there.”

The show will serve as Doyle’s St. John’s stop on the “Come Out With Me” tour, and he and his band plan to do a mixture of songs from his solo albums, Great Big Sea tunes, and traditional Newfoundland favourites.

“I usually have an 18-month touring schedule and there are always some places you look especially forward to; home is obviously always one of them,” Doyle says. “It’s always a star. I always get a little extra nervous, some extra butterflies. I always want it to be a bit special. This show, it will be good to catch up at home. I want it to just feel like a good time.”

A detailed schedule and ticket information for the Iceberg Alley Performance Tent is available online at icebergalleyconcerts.com .